Railroads are typically constructed to include a pair of elongated, substantially parallel rails, which are coupled to a plurality of laterally extending ties. The ties are disposed on a ballast bed of hard particulate material such as sharp edged granite. Over time, normal wear and tear on the railroad may cause the rails to develop surface defects and deform in shape.
Rail grinders are track vehicles typically used to shape the transverse section of the rail to control the wheel/rail interface and to remove longitudinal surface defects. Grinding motors may be handheld, cart mounted, or part of rail-bound machines. Rail-bound grinders have motor configurations that typically range from 10 to 96 grinding motors. These motors can be oriented at predefined angles to the cross sectional profile of the rail and have varying horsepower.